What does 5 servings of fruits and vegetables mean?

Question

Is that both combined? Or 5 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables everyday?

Answer 1

Hi there,

I'm a registered dietitian. The "five a day" campaign refers to a combination of fruits and vegetables. So this could mean 3 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables.
Note that juices also count as "servings" of fruits and vegetables; not necessarily the *healthiest* way to go, but they will still provide you with most of the nutrients in the whole fruits, with the notable exception of fiber.

As an example, you could meet your "5 a day" by having a glass of OJ in the morning; a banana for a morning snack, an orange for an afternoon snack, a garden salad with lunch, and cup of mixed vegetables at dinner.

However, if you notice recently, in some countries the target has been increased to 5 to 10 a day. I think this is a good step.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck.

Answer 2

It is a combination. There's no way anyone could possibly eat 5 fruits and 5 vegetables everyday and stay out of the bathrooom. I believe the preference calls for 3 veg. and 2 fruits a day. A serving of fruit would be either a whole piece of fruit (1/2 grapefruit and if the banana you choose is large, then 1/2 of that...a small banana is considererd 1 serving;) or 4 oz. of juice such as orange, grapefruit, apple, V8. Most people drink more than 4 oz. of juice (usually 8 oz....which would make 2 servings) In the case of V8 juice that would count as vegetables...not fruit. Depending on the vegetable, a serving size can be anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup. You know, a "bigger" veggie like broccoli takes up more room than english peas. So a serving of broccoli would be 1 cup....the serving of English peas would only be 1/2 cup. I hope this helps.

Answer 3

thats all together - at least 5 servings (one serving is about a cup)

Answer 4

its fives servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables

Answer 5

40 ounces I believe total.